Andrea Bervick
Andrea Bervick (166–233) was the wife of Evan I of Dorio and the Queen Consort of the Dorian Empire from 229 to 232. She was also part of the wealthy Bervick trade family. Early life Andrea was born to Desmond Bervick and his wife, Elinor, in 166 DR. She was raised on the shores of the Kenkor Lagoon, where the Bervicks were based, and from an early age was interested in the financial complexities of running a trade business. Noting her talents, Desmond treated Andrea much the same as he did his son Laurence, and both Bervick children attended an elite academy in Cantingvale in the early 180s. Wanting to give his children experience working with other groups, Desmond next sent each of his children to an apprenticeship with another Dorian trade company; Andrea's position was with the Stantrough family, still in Cantingvale. As a scribe for Oswin Stantrough, Andrea frequently attended court meetings and noted important details that could affect the prices of goods. It was at one of these meetings, in early 186, when Evan Therenane presented himself as the son of then-King Albus II. When royal physicians confirmed Evan's lineage, Evan became very sociable in the court scene, and soon he and Andrea had a rapport. Over the ensuing months, they engaged in courtship, and the two were married in the spring of 187. Therenane-Bervick alliance Seeing that his daughter had become married to the second heir to the Dorian throne, Desmond recalled her to an administrative position in the Bervick trade company. This brought about a surge in prestige for the Bervicks, and with her knowledge of court life, Andrea was vital in adapting the small shipping company to deal with the southern Dorian aristocracy. The 190s were a fruitful decade for the Bervicks, but when Herbert II acceded to Dorio, his disinheritance of Evan damaged the company's standing. No longer a noble in his own right, Evan was forced to seek employment under the Bervicks, and many clients left for other companies. This problem was exacerbated by the death of Desmond Bervick in 205; Andrea then split power with her brother Laurence, and the arrangement turned other patrons off. By 209, the Bervick merchant enterprise was no longer profitable; in the ensuing years, they began burning through their surplus money. In 212, the Bervicks found that they had too little money to maintain their business; Laurence advocated selling off many of the ships in their fleet, but Andrea wished to take out a loan to fund the family. Although her path would not have been sustainable in the long term, Andrea managed to convince enough elites in the company to follow her, and so her plan was the one chosen. This gambit ended up saving the family. In 213, Rhennish king Wilhelm III overturned the Writ of Restriction, beginning trade of gunpowder to Dorio. Searching for a company to ship it, Wilhelm sought several traits: a small company, so as not to be overly high-profile, but one with a significant fleet, for security, and experience with nobility, for proper decorum. The Bervicks, fitting these criteria, were chosen as the primary shipper. Suddenly vital to Dorian innovation, the Bervick family bounced back immensely, and became one of the premier shipping families of the Lagoon. Belthion Succession War By the 220s, a divide was forming between supporters of King Herbert's son Garrett and those who wished to reinstate Evan as Herbert's heir. Andrea, supporting her husband, sided the Bervick company with the Therenanists. This gave the Therenane supporters an advantage in terms of gunpowder usage, as they had easier access through Andrea and her family; thus, when Herbert died and the succession crisis devolved into open warfare, Andrea was a key figure. In 228, Laurence died when his ship was attacked by Belthionists, and full control of the company fell to Andrea; she was forced to quickly learn naval tactics, and although she never became an exceptional naval commander, she was able to adequately evade enemy forces. However, she found herself highly stressed by the position, and so when the war concluded in 229 she resigned from the Bervick company and passed it to her nephew, Allen. For the duration of Evan's reign, Andrea lived with him in Cantingvale; when he died, she moved to a small keep by the shore, where she lived for several months before succumbing to pneumonia in 233. Category:Dorians Category:Nobles